News of: Thursday, 12th of August, 2010

Front Page

The immediate past caretaker government defrauded the people by forming the now-defunct Truth and Accountability Commission (Tac), the High Court observed in its judgment that declared the commission illegal.

At Char Patila, the mood is grim.As the fishing boat purrs its way towards the shore of the island, an eager bunch of people, mostly fishermen, waits. The boat drops its anchor, and the members of the waiting crowd stretch their necks.

Police yesterday placed charge sheet in the sensational case of Farzana Kabir Rita and her two children's death at their Jurain residence accusing nine people for provoking the three into committing suicide.

A few thousand people, angered by power cuts that linger for over six hours amid the rising mercury and humidity, swooped on local electricity offices in Narayanganj, Natore, Joypurhat and Rajshahi yesterday, leaving at least 50 people injured.

A section of non-government organisations (NGOs) takes up foreign funded projects without analysing the country's socio-economic and ecological realities and the need of the people, Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury said yesterday.

An inter-ministerial meeting has finalised a bunch of proposals including increase in Eid holidays and declaring holidays in all educational institutions in the capital from 10th of Ramadan to help reduce traffic congestion.

A Dhaka court yesterday granted three months more to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to complete the investigation into one of the two cases filed for the August 21 grenade attacks on an Awami League rally in 2004.

The UK Border Agency arrested 20 Bangladeshi expatriates under a special law enforcement operation aiming at reducing illegal immigration, said a press release of the British High Commission in Dhaka yesterday.

Editorial

That the government has started its Open Market Sales (OMS) of rice ahead of the Ramadan at a lower price than the kitchen market price is a welcome move. The price of OMS rice at Tk 24 per kg, which is less by Tk 6 to Tk 7 than that in the kitchen market should be helpful for the poorer section of the population. However, for the OMS rice to leave any impact on the market price of rice, the government will have to ensure that the quantity of rice on sale under OMS is adequate and that it is spread over different parts of the country, with special emphasis on the poverty pockets and flood-hit areas. And since, questions sometimes arise about the quality of OMS rice, it is important that the dealers who have been employed by the commerce ministry to sell the rice are brought under close monitoring.

Apparently, the drive against old and unfit vehicles has come nowhere near achieving its target. The ramshackle buses and minibuses, identified as a threat to safety of commuters, have returned to the city roads taking advantage of the glaring flaws in the enforcement of law. Out of the 16 mobile courts that went into operation on July 15, with the objective of driving out the dangerous vehicles, only eight are now working as the law enforcers are facing an acute shortage of manpower and logistical support. Furthermore, the drive is being conducted on only four days a week. So, there is ample room for the old vehicles to start operating again, particularly during nighttime when law enforcers are not seen on the roads.

Every now and then the Indian batting is tested in difficult one-day conditions, and they usually tend to come up short, though not as spectacularly as against New Zealand in the opening match of the tri-series on Tuesday. Last year, they batted first on a damp pitch in Guwahati and were sliced to 27 for 5 by Mitchell Johnson and Doug Bollinger before Praveen Kumar and Ravindra Jadeja partially revived India with half-centuries. There was no lower-order rescue on Monday, and India slid to the lowest total in ODIs this year.

Iqbal Mohammad Ali, a leading Pakistani parliamentarian, has appealed to the country's President and patron of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Asif Ali Zardari, to remove chairman of the cricket board Ijaz Butt, who he felt was responsible for the continued deterioration of the national side.

The Bangladesh Football Federation is likely to choose a Croatian coach after the departure of Serbian coach Zoran Djordjevic as the football governing body has already accepted the financial package of Croatian Robert Rusche.

Six months ago, Scott Styris' international career was on the rocks after he was axed from the one-day side for the home series against Bangladesh. The drop came barely four months after his recall for a limited-overs series against Pakistan. How many can make two international comebacks after turning 34? Yet, Styris is now firmly back in New Zealand's plans for the 2011 World Cup, and he gave another demonstration of his usefulness on a tricky Dambulla track to set his team up for a victory that pushed them to the No. 2 spot in the ICC rankings.

Australian cricket carried out its first experiment with the split-innings format -- two innings of 20 overs each -- in a practice game between South Australian Redbacks and Tasmanian Tigers at the Marrara Oval in Darwin on Tuesday.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has rejected a request by Lalit Modi, the suspended Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman, for specific members of the board's disciplinary committee, investigating charges against him, to recuse themselves from the proceedings. A brief statement by the board didn't outline any reasons but stated that the next hearing of the committee will be on Wednesday, August 18, in New Delhi.

Business

Call centre managers are warning that their investments, totalling Tk 250 crore, are at risk due to disputes with middlemen, a shortage of affordable English-speakers willing to work at night, and a national internet bottleneck.

The government will go for stern action against the 'fake' dealers who collected goods from Trading Corporation of Bangladesh for sale in the open market and have now disappeared, said Commerce Minister Faruk Khan yesterday.

Bangladesh will witness a higher economic growth due to the $1billion loan the country will get from India, as the fund will be spent for infrastructure development, said FBCCI President AK Azad yesterday.

Shahrin Sultana, a newly recruited bank official who must dress formally during office hours, still recalls how bored she was when she washed and ironed her clothes at the university dormitory. Now, she uses a mechanised laundry service, and is a client of a domestic industry that has now grown to Tk 20 crore, according to one of the top cleaners.

India may temporarily shut down BlackBerry services if security concerns are not addressed in a meeting on Thursday, sources said, in a signal the Canadian firm's tussle with authorities around the world is far from over.

APEX TANNERYThe company's Board of Directors has recommended 25 percent cash dividend, as of June 30. The AGM will be held on September 28 (at 11am) at Officers Club in Dhaka. The record date is August 24. The board has also reported earnings per share of Tk 93.74, net asset value per share of Tk 562.52 and net operating cash flow per share of Tk 226.83, as of June 30. There is no price limit on the trading of shares today following its corporate declaration.

The Supreme Court yesterday started hearing on a long pending appeal against the High Court directives on the detention of any person under suspicion and subsequent dealings with the detainees on remand.

Mosharraf Hossain Kajol, a public prosecutor dealing with Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) mutiny cases across the country, received a death threat through short message service (SMS) on his mobile phone yesterday.

The written admission test for 'Diploma in Development Studies' Programme under the Department of Development Studies of Dhaka University will be held tomorrow, 10:00am in room no 4017 of third floor at Arts Building, says a press release.

Dearth of coins and two-taka notes in the markets of northern districts is making a dent in the buyers' pockets as shopkeepers are allegedly forcing them to buy toffees instead of returning small exchanges.

Students of a Gaibandha college on Tuesday brought out a procession protesting hike of yearly railway fare while students of another college in Thakurgaon on Monday formed a human chain demanding steps to reduce session jam.

Police arrested three Awami League (AL) men on Tuesday night allegedly for assaulting a freedom fighter in Tala upazila. The arrestees are ward AL President Tafej Uddin, ward Juba League leader Akhter Hossain in Kheshra Union and Tala upazila Swechchasebok League General Secretary Abdul Momin. Police quoted local people as saying that the leaders of the Awami League and its associate bodies beat up freedom fighter Abdul Latif Biswas on Tuesday. Police arrested the three at their houses following a case filed by Abdul Latif the same day.

A mother and her daughter were killed by lightning at Paitali village under Nachole upazila of Chapainawabganj district yesterday Wednesday. The victims are Samorati Begum, 45, and her daughter Nasrin Khatun, 22, of Paitali village under Fatepur Union. Israil Haque, chairman of Fatepur Union Parishad, said they were lightning struck by lightning while working at their house at around 3:00pm.

At least 10 activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League were injured in a clash between two groups at Madaripur Government Nazimuddin University College yesterday. Witnesses said the clash ensued over an altercation between Atiquer Rahman Babu, the assistant general secretary and Masiur Rahman Nahid at 12:00 noon. The hour-long chase and counter-chase left Mintu, Titu Hawlader, Bappi Ahmad, Iadul Islam, Sabbir, Sajjad and others injured. Danish Miah, principal of the college, blamed outsiders for the clash.

A day after the Opposition attacked the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government over Railway Minister and Trinamool Chief Mamata Banerjee's pro-Maoist remarks at a rally in Lalgarh, West Bengal, Union Home Minister P Chidambaram yesterday said the Government would certainly not encourage anyone to support the Maoists.

A government-appointed commission looking into Sri Lanka's civil war began public hearings yesterday amid international scepticism about its credibility as it has no mandate to investigate allegations that thousands of civilians died in the final months of the conflict.

Maoist spokesperson Dina Nath Sharma has said his party chairman and prime ministerial candidate Pushpa Kamal Dahal alias Prachanda is ready to withdraw his candidacy for the prime minister post if other parties agreed to amend the Interim Constitution.

Heavy rains yesterday lashed a remote section of northwestern China as the death toll from weekend flooding that triggered massive landslides jumped to 1,117 and the hopes of finding more survivors faded.

Arts & Entertainment

As part of the second phase of the year-long, nationwide project 'Robi Cholo Lathi Kheli,' to revitalise and expand the horizons of lathi khela (a traditional martial art of Bangladesh), Shadhona -- A Centre for Advancement of South Asian Dance and Music and the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA) held a 10-day long 'Training for Trainers.' The training session included 14 lathiyal from Sirajganj, Netrakona, Kushtia, Manikganj and Narail.

Bengal Gallery of Fine Arts has organised an exhibition featuring contemporary Norwegian glass and ceramic artworks. Some of the participating artists are well-established names, while others are young who are set to make their mark both at home and abroad. Through imagination and creativity, these artists have developed their individual styles. Most of the works are vibrant and incorporate many geometrical shapes and structures.

Banglalink is sponsoring a special daily TV show during the month of Ramadan on BTV. The well researched show will focus on mosques, their history and significance around the world. The show will be created by author Shakur Majid. The 30-episodes of the show has been created around the historical importance of mosques in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Syria, Spain, Iraq, Turkey, China, Malaysia and Bangladesh.

The three-day Sultan Utsab (festival) in Narail ended with much fanfare on Tuesday. On the concluding day, apart from other programmes, a traditional boat race was held on the river Chittra. Several thousand enthusiastic people thronged the venue.

Showcasing extraordinary feats of balance, agility and endurance, a three-day Chinese acrobatic show began at the National Theatre Hall, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy on August 10. A Chinese acrobatic troupe, consisting mostly of teenagers, enthralled the full-house audience during its hour-long performance.

To celebrate the season of monsoon, cultural organisation Nibedon held a music programme, titled “Notun Ganey Borshar Abahon” at Chhayanaut's main auditorium in Dhanmondi, Dhaka on August 10. At the soiree, artistes of Nibedan rendered some original, never before heard Bangla songs on monsoon and its impact on life and nature.

Lady Gaga: Check. Madonna: Check. “Glee” has featured the music of the pop stars to acclaim in its first season. However, the show has yet to get high-profile singers Madonna and Gaga to appear in person on the show. But another diva is about to change that.

OP-ED

A few days back, Chittagong University hit the headlines following unprecedented vandalism on the campus coupled with complaints against the law enforcers' excesses. This time, however, Chittagong University has come up with positive news by meting out exemplary punishment -- sacking from the job -- to a teacher proven guilty of sexual harassment of a female student.

Governments never seem to understand a basic fact of the democratic dialectic; no opposition wants its demands met. It prefers a government to be stubborn, so that it can string out the accusation long enough for it to sink so deep into the public consciousness that it cannot be extricated by delayed redressal. There is not much political value to an accusation unless it becomes an intrinsic part of campaign rhetoric.

International Youth Day will be celebrated at United Nations headquarters in New York with the global launch of the International Year of Youth on August 12. The event will be a celebration of young peoples' energy, imagination and initiatives, and will recognise their crucial contributions to enhancing peace and development.

Joint US-South Korean naval exercises consisting of over 200 aircraft, including F-22 jet fighters, thousands of troops and the nuclear-powered American aircraft carrier George Washington were recently held off the eastern coast of the Korean peninsula. Japanese armed forces were also present in the exercises.

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